the.com/encroachment

means The act of gradually intruding on someone else's rights, land, or territory, one small step at a time.

from From French encrochier, 'to seize with a hook,' built from en- ('in, on') plus croc, 'hook' (the same croc that gives us 'crochet' and 'crook'). The image is exact: not a sudden grab but a hook sinking in and slowly dragging something toward you — which is precisely how a fence, a deadline, or an empire creeps over a line that used to be yours.